Tales of KOTOR: How the Mighty have Fallen
by Dante-Raven
Summary: From Trillian4210's Forum! Oneshot that takes place right before the LSFExile turns herself back in to the Jedi Council after the war. She has a final confrontation with DSMRevan after the Exile learns Revan has fallen.


Star Wars

Knights of the Old Republic

How the Mighty have Fallen

**Author's Notes: One-shot that takes place right before the LS/Exile turns him/herself back in to the Jedi Council after the war. He or she has a final confrontation with DS/Revan (male or female) after the Exile learns Revan has fallen/is falling, and then leaves to return to the Council.**

**And just for the record, I added a bonus part to this.**

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* * *

**The shuttle landed on the husks of the surface of what was once a lush planet, filled with green fields, strong durasteel starscrapers and the constant touch of life that thrived within the dark holy planet. 

Now nothing _natural_ lived on the surface of the ruined and jagged surface of Malachor V. Only a green haze filled the sky, never to change or signify what would be day or night. Cracks through the planets surface ranged from the size of hairline fractures to the size of entire cities, as they ran all throughout the broken planet.

Nothing lived, yet for some creatures that survived, they had flocked towards a central point in the planet, leaving only one large structure, immaculate in every shape and form.

The creatures were borne of the Dark Side, surviving only through their will to survive and destroy. They walked throughout the surface of the planet, feeding on the ripe corpses of those who had fallen on while fighting on the surface and those who were aboard the fallen husks of starships that had been too close to the planet's surface when the Mass Shadow Generator was activated.

_The Mass Shadow Generator_, she thought sourly. _If only I had known the full capabilities of your power—I would never have unleashed it in the first place_.

The ramp had begun to lower, filling the interior of the ship's hold with the howling and biting wind of Malachor's surface. She ignored it, knowing full well that she had been played into unleashing the unimaginable power of the device.

It was claimed to have been developed by a technician named Bao-Thor or something along the lines of that. It hardly mattered to her, for she knew better.

The device was created out of the mysterious will of Revan.

_Revan_, her fist tightened. _What have you brought on us all_? Sighing, the woman walked down the ramp, her light blue cloak covering her and shielding her from the biting breeze of the dead planet's surface.

She had felt a dull throbbing pain in the back of her head since the implementation of the Mass Shadow Generator. It left her temporarily after she closed herself from the Force, yet when she opened herself up to it, the throbbing pain greeted her.

The wind continued to howl around her, causing her to think of the moans and screams of the dying or the dead that had _all_ fallen by her hands. She was the one who ordered the activation of the device. After all, she was told by Revan that it would end the war and it would save the Republic.

It eliminated more than half of the Republic fleet stationed there.

It wiped out the Mandalorian clans in a heartbeat.

Whatever battered remnants of her fleet was left, she had ordered them to move to Honoghr, where she would rendezvous with them after her meeting.

She was one of the few Jedi who would be going back.

She continued to walk through the planet, knowing her rendezvous with the one who had done this was coming soon. _What do I tell him?_ Lost in her thoughts, she continued to traverse through the unnatural caverns, passing by the merged pieces of rock and capital ship. She shuddered at the disturbing sight, wondering how many had actually been encased in the rocks.

The thought continued to run through her head as she could barely make out the perceptions of life. In fact, most of what she could feel was pain and death. She felt her connection to the Force minute, almost infinitesimal to what it had been but a few short days ago. She had stopped near an obvious, man-made rock formation, aided from the help of the planetary weapon she had unleashed.

She stopped near a pair of jagged rocks on either side of her that held the impaled bodies of a few soldiers she had once known. She hadn't noticed the large towering structure some distance from her. She could only gaze at the bodies of the men and women who were once her friends. Her friends that she had led to their deaths. She lowered her eyes until she felt an ease to her throbbing pain.

Revan had come.

"Credit for your thoughts?" Came the mused, synthesized voice, masking the true identity of Revan.

Her eyes rose and her cloaked face met the cold, emotionless, faceless mask of Revan. "What have you brought on us, Revan?"

He stood there, clad in his dark grey, almost black, robes along with his armourweave cape that doubled as a cloak, covering most of his helmet, save for his copper and silver coloured facemask. His arms were crossed over his chest, revealing matching gauntlets within the folds of the entirely armoured clothing. "I brought us to a path of justice, nobility and _freedom_," he replied, his voice stressing the final word as he chuckled.

"You told me the Mass Shadow Generator would end the war—not destroy almost two-thirds of my fleet and decimate the _entire_ Mandalorian race." Her cold eyes were facing the single visor that doubled as his eyes.

"It did end the war, did it not?" He asked, tilting his head. "I've brought the war to an end—and we've saved much more lives."

"But you've killed almost three hundred thousand _lives_, Revan." Her voice lost its calm, slowly moving towards its edge. Her fists were balled and she could feel the strength of the Force returning to her, albeit gradually.

"They were going to betray us all, _sister_."

She inhaled sharply, feeling a cold tingling run down her spine. "I may be your sister, Revan, but make no mistake, you killed them in cold-blood!"

He shrugged, "they would have betrayed us. Don't you get it? I did this all for a reason. It was here to protect _you_, to protect us all!"

She cocked an eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

Revan chuckled, shaking his head almost as if he were teaching her. "Dear sister, don't you get it? This war liberated us. They weren't ready to take on the trials that I have foreseen."

She took an involuntary step back. "What do you mean you've 'foreseen,' Revan? Out with it!"

"My, my," he said derisively, "is my dear sister letting her anger get the better of her? That isn't very Jedi-like."

She clenched her jaw, willing away her anger, storing it in some deep, dark recess in the back of her mind. Exhaling through clenched teeth, she replied, "don't forget, I _am_ your blood. You almost killed me, Revan. What have you foreseen?"

"I would never do such a thing," he said, waving his hand casually.

She could feel the strength of the Force leaving her again. Only that small connection continued to reign there, while she felt the dull throbbing pain return to her.

"Vanora," Revan said, his synthesized voice revealing the soft tone, he brought a hand and put it to her shoulder. "I know the pain that you feel. I felt it too."

Her eyes shifted to him, "and yet it was brought out by the pain of killing all of those lives. We took innocents, Revan!" She threw his hand away from her shoulder. "We need to go back to the Council—we _need_ to let them know they were right! We need to fix this pain!"

Revan took a step back. "No, sister," he began, his voice darker, "we will not go to the Council. They will seek to imprison us. Let me help you—I can free you of your pain. You don't need to listen to this senselessness and you can be _whole_ again."

She looked at the ground and then back up at him. The offer was tempting. _To be free of pain ever again? To never live in my sins once more…_ She stopped. She removed the hood that covered her head and she squared her shoulders. "No, Revan, I will not accept your offer. We will go to the Council—they must hear of this. Only through their wisdom can we ever seek to be righted from the wrongs we have committed." Her golden skin brought out the defined features of her sharp nose and cheekbones. Her grey, almond shaped eyes, slightly angled on her oval face revealed her stature and her determination.

"Vanora, they don't _understand_!" His voice was higher now and he removed his faceplate. His face was pale, lost of the youthful exuberance he once had. He bore a scar down his left eye, reaching down across his cheek to the edge of his upper lip. His once grey eyes were now completely yellow, filled with malice and the taint of the Dark Side. "The Sith have returned! I must stop them!" There was no more synthesis, only the pure melodic tone of his voice.

Vanora stifled a gasp as she watched her brother's face, studying it carefully.

"They have returned! They threaten to overwhelm us!"

She took a step back, breathing deeply, though she felt the shock—and added pain to her. She had lost her little brother to the Dark Side. Shaking her head, she said, "I don't believe you, Revan. _You're_ the Sith."

He laughed, "Vanora! Don't be such a fool! The Sith are real! They're going declare war on us and I need you!"

"What about Malak?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Surely he knows better! The Sith have been wiped out for the better part of 30 years!"

Revan sighed, shaking his head, his faceplate still in his right hand. "Malak once thought the way you did—but now he knows very well what is to occur. Don't you get it, Vanora? The Sith are still here! The Jedi eliminated most of them—but these ones are far more than anything we have ever faced!" He extended his left arm towards her. "Join me and together we can destroy the Sith!"

She shook her head, pained by the imminent betrayal of her little brother. "No, I don't believe you. You're lying! You've joined the Dark Side—I don't need the Force to see it! When did it occur? Tell me!"

Revan growled, "Vanora, don't be an idiot! We need to win this war—I will do _whatever_ it takes to ensure they don't survive! I will destroy them!"

"You will only continue to be corrupted and fueled by the Dark Side!"

"Maybe it takes a Sith to beat a Sith!"

She felt the strength of the Force returning to her, as she felt herself growing angry. She grew angry that Revan had intentionally destroyed the Mandalorians for some lie. She grew angry that Revan had slaughtered millions of innocents and his own allies all in a bid to eliminate the weak from the strong. She _hated_ Revan for being her brother, for betraying what they once stood for. She felt the Force gather around her. "I will stop you!" She hissed through gritted teeth.

Revan threw the faceplate to the ground, as the green sky hissed and crackled with the sound of thunder. Lightning shot about, sending blinding flashes of light to reveal the darkness that was in Revan's face. "I thought you knew better, sister. I can't believe you would turn against me."

"_Betrayed_ you? Revan, you sold us out! You destroyed an entire planet and now you're trying to turn _me_—your own sister—to the Dark Side! I _have_ to stop you!"

Revan's upper lip curled into biting hatred. "I am right! Why don't you believe me? Join me—become my apprentice! Vanora, we can become more than just the tenets of the Jedi! We can become _Gods_! We can unite the Republic into a strong army! They will obey you and I—just like they did before!" He extended his hand further, almost as if he were grasping for something. "Join me and together we could _rule_ the Galaxy!"

She shook her head. "I can't, Revan. You're going down a path I can't follow. I won't let you continue down this path either."

"Don't make me destroy you," he hissed. "I will not hesitate to kill even _you_ from burning away my dreams!"

"You're 'dreams'? Revan, listen to yourself! You don't know what you've become! You've already fallen!"

"_Fallen_? No," he replied, shaking his head as he brandished his silver and black lightsaber hilt. "I haven't fallen. I have been _liberated_."

Vanora swallowed deeply, feeling a lump in her throat. _Where did I fail you, Revan_? With the twitch of a finger, she removed her cloak and she removed her own lightsaber. She was clad in her black breeches and boots, highlighted by her dark blue tunic. She could feel the Force gathering within the area between her and her brother, as thunder continued to roll across the sky. Her short, straight raven hair flowed wildly across her features. "I will have no choice but to stop you."

Revan snarled as he ignited his crimson lightsaber.

She activated her emerald blade.

The fallen Jedi leapt straight at her and the fight was on.

She began to tread backwards, as Vanora fervently brought her lightsaber all around her, deflecting and blocking each thrust and slash that was aimed at her.

Revan no longer cared for whether or not this was his sister. She was _nothing _to him. His strikes were aimed to kill, as he slashed all around her, aiming for her head in an upward slash, which she deflected away and kicked out, sending Revan flying back.

She stood poised, feeling rage rush through her as he rose.

He wiped away a bit of blood on his lower lip. "First blood," he sneered, "you've gotten better."

Vanora tensed her muscles, her heart skipping a beat as she once remembered those two words that had once signified something at one time. _First blood_, he had once said when they were younger and training. Now they were only the words of a megalomaniac.

Revan growled and leapt at her again, slashing at her in a dazzling array of flurries, while she continued to backpedal and traverse through the man-made caverns she had once traversed through.

Vanora pirouetted, smacking his lightsaber away, as their blades crackled and hissed against each other.

Revan allowed his blade to be guided away, as he too pirouetted, pivoting on his hips as he kicked at her, catching her on the shoulder.

Vanora grunted and stumbled away, slowly regaining her footing and bringing her lightsaber up just in time to deflect the powerful cleave that her beloved little brother sent her way.

Revan watched Vanora deflect the lightsaber away, as he reversed his blade, rolling it in his hand and slashing for her torso, which she deflected. Under the power of the Dark Side, Revan was far more the stronger.

When they were both Jedi, he was still the strongest.

She was mere child's play to him.

Vanora continued to parry off the blades, as she brought her back towards a wall.

Revan grinned as he thrust out, only to watch her lithe figure roll away as his lightsaber created a molten hole. Growling he didn't bother to pull the blade out, instead he continued to slash around, sending small bits of molten rock flying to the ground.

Vanora blocked the horizontal slash, as she continued to leap back. _He's just too powerful_, she thought. _The Council must be warned_. She could feel the strength of the Force leaving her again, as the throbbing pain assailed her from behind.

Revan took her momentary lapse and renewed his flurries as he slashed to and fro, turning his blade into a blinding crimson shield of lacerating energy.

Vanora continued to block his relentless onslaught, as she was slowly giving ground, growing weary from drawing on the Force.

The former Jedi continued to slash, whirling his blade in a figure eight pattern before he kicked out again, planting his foot on her face and sending her falling back.

Vanora hit a sharp rock, cutting into her back as she was forced to duck and roll from another cleave by Revan.

The young Sith growled in frustration. "Stay still!"

She continued to find her muscles growing weary, but she forced herself—no, _willed_ herself to persevere. _I can't afford to fall now—the Council needs to know!_ She called the dwindling strength of the Force into her left hand as she flailed her blade in her right hand, forcing Revan to take a step back.

It was all she needed.

Vanora extended her left arm, almost as if she were pushing air, and Revan was sent flying back and colliding against a wall.

Grunting, he hit the floor, feeling the air explode from his lungs for a brief moment, causing him immense pain in his chest. Coughing, he sucked in precious air and rose, only to witness a dwindling silhouette of his sister.

_Leave her_, came a dry, yet obviously feminine tone. _She will come in time. She is nothing more than just a broken body, struggling for the wisps of life._

Revan, breathing deeply, shook his head. "She will inform the Council before anything can ever come to fruition."

_She will come in time, Revan. They will not be able to stop what is to come. It has already begun_.

Revan felt his muscles tense as he listened to the commanding voice. He turned away and extended his hand, feeling the warm grip of his lightsaber. Turning around, he ignited his blade and bounded after her.

_Fool_, came the voice again. _Have you learned nothing of what I have taught you?_

"Quiet, Kreia," Revan replied, as the Force augmented his abilities.

The voice was silent.

Vanora continued to race through the caverns, making out her ship that stood there, waiting for its master to return. She smiled, slowing down as she was panting hard. The Force continued to leave her and the dull pain began to grow ever so slightly.

Then came a prickle in the Force—a prickle she knew all too well.

She ducked as Revan zoomed over her, his lightsaber thrumming. Vanora rolled again, ignoring the dirt that gathered on her clothes as she rose, her lightsaber ignited and deflecting two more slashes to her chest.

Revan continued to wear her down. "Had enough, sister? I can feel your _pain_! Let go of it—give _in_ to your anger! It is but the first step to guiding you towards freedom!"

She strode back and locked blades with him, as he cleaved at her again. "You talk of the Dark Side, Revan. How could you betray me? How could you betray us all? After all we've done for you."

Revan's eyes locked on hers as their blades crackled, seeking to sear through the other. "The Council won't believe you, Vanora," he replied, as he continued to guide their blades away from each other.

"Maybe not—but they will be warned," she replied as she let go of her strength and turned halfway around him and then snapped out with her elbow, smashing Revan's nose with a sickening bone cracking thud.

Revan gasped in pain and fell to the ground.

Vanora brought her blade up, ready to plunge it into her younger brother. She stood there, towering over him and heavy with breath. _I can't do it!_ The emerald blade hung before the fallen figure of Revan, almost as if it were the proverbial sword of Damocles.

Revan groaned and rolled over, his face covered in blood and his eyes biting and hate filled. "Do it," he managed.

The emerald blade thrummed just over his chest.

"Do it if you are ready to stop me."

She felt herself torn between preventing a full-scale war and by killing her own flesh and blood.

_If he survives, he will continue to wreak havoc on the Galaxy._

_If he dies, I will fall just like he did._

Revan continued to stare at her, watching as she waged a war within herself.

She bit her lower lip and then grimaced as she felt a hot searing pain glance off her ribs.

Revan had pulled his lightsaber back into his grasp.

Vanora found herself flying back—ironically, towards the shuttle.

Revan rose and he brought his lightsaber back up. His hood had fallen and he revealed very short hair that was covered in sweat. His eyes went wide as he realized he sent her flying towards her shuttle. _No!_ He leapt at her, bringing his lightsaber before him in a desperate attempt to run her through.

Vanora rose, her head filled with more than just the throbbing pain, as she hit part of the ship's hull. Her vision blurry, she made out a flying grey figure and a red blade.

_Oh no_.

With all of her strength, Vanora extended both of her hands, bereft of her lightsaber and she watched as Revan was sent flying back from the impact of blue Force-lightning.

He let out a cry as he hit the ground, writing in pain and unable to get up.

Vanora sighed, and felt her legs grow weak. _The Council needs to know this_, she mustered. _The pain is too unbearable_, she gasped, as she fell on her knees.

The pain of the Force leaving her overwhelmed her, as the throbbing pain coursed along her entire body.

Picking up her lightsaber, Vanora crawled onto the ship, leaving Revan on the ground, rising slowly as he undoubtedly felt her pain.

She knew that this day she had made an enemy for life.

An enemy that was her brother.

Revan groaned as he heard the pitch and whine of engines, as dust flew over him. Rising, he watched as the shuttle took off, leaving only a waking trail of orange light before that faded away.

Thunder continued to roll throughout the sky.

Nightfall was approaching.

He turned about and retrieved his blade, closing his eyes for a moment as he felt for the small bond between he and his sister. It had diminished over the past three days. He could feel her, overwhelmed by the exorcism of the Force. He laughed miserably to himself as he touched the bond and then severed it, almost as if it were the final strings that held her together.

Miles above the planet, Vanora screamed out in pain and fell to the ground, feeling more than just the extrication of the Force from her body. She felt the pain and sorrows of all those who were once fighting in the Mandalorian Wars. She felt the deaths of the Mandalorians, the Jedi and the Republic soldiers who were killed when the Mass Shadow Generator was activated.

She felt the death of the Force in her body as she collapsed to the ground. The screams and echoes of all those deaths she was responsible for had flowed into her mind, consuming her into blinding pain.

Even the deaths that were held on Revan's hands had joined the fracas.

The last thing she felt was the words of Revan.

_And so, this is my parting gift to you. Understand the pain and you shall eventually find the method to healing yourself._

* * *

Days later, Vanora found herself awake on a medical cot, in the medbay of a Republic cruiser. It was her flagship, the _Halberd_. 

"Ah, good, you're awake," came a soft, comforting voice.

"Where am I?" She felt heavy, almost as if she were without a sense. She could feel no pain, no life—nothing.

"You're on the _Halberd_, General," the voice replied.

Vanora opened her eyes and shifted her gaze to face the person.

General Forn Dodonna stood before her, smiling and carrying a datapad.

"What happened?" Vanora mumbled.

"You were found by one of our scout ships. You were drifting near the Cron Drift. You were lucky we found you, General, otherwise a slaver ship might have picked you up."

Gathering some strength, Vanora sat up on the medical cot. "I must thank you, General."

Forn shook her head. "Don't thank me, I was merely carrying out your orders. We found your beacon and I ordered several ships to intercept your ship."

Vanora furrowed her brow. "Beacon?"

Forn looked at the Jedi, slightly puzzled. "Why yes, of course. You activated the beacon shortly before you were unconscious."

Vanora shook her head, "I don't recall activating any beacon."

Forn wasn't sure what to make of it.

Vanora remembered a handful of words from Revan. _And so, this is my parting gift to you_. Her head shot up. "Revan!"

Forn took an involuntary step back. "Pardon, General?"

"Where's Revan?"

She shook her head. "He never came back with us. Instead, he took the rest of the fleet and said they were going to engage the remnants of the Mandalorians in the Outer Rim."

Vanora furrowed her brow.

Before the pair could say anything further, a junior officer raced into the medbay, panting. "General! Revan's returned at the head of an armada!"

Forn and Vanora traded glances.

"What do you mean?" Forn asked.

Vanora's stomach felt almost as if it were going to turn.

"Revan's proclaimed himself 'Darth Revan!' They've bombed Telos! It's gone!"

Forn gaped in horror and Vanora felt almost as if she were going to be sick.

_I could have ended it._

Vanora looked at Forn, "where is our present location?"

"We just arrived to Coruscant. The Jedi Council requires the presence of you and the others who have returned."

She nodded. "I'll go then." Rising, Vanora donned her clothing and took a shuttle to Coruscant, to answer for her crimes and injustices and to find herself.

Only the thought of Revan came to her mind. Her sweet, younger brother who had fallen to the Dark Side.

The sad part was that she didn't know why.

She just couldn't remember for the life of her.


End file.
